The Hyderabad Commissionerate alone recorded 42,758 cases from January to June 2024. In the same period, the Rachakonda Commissionerate reported 4,678 cases, accumulating Rs 46,78,000 in fines with a penalty of Rs 1,000 per case. Last year, the Hyderabad Commissionerate, the busiest in the city, reported 57,914 cases, while the Rachakonda Commissionerate reported 5,095 cases, resulting in Rs 50,95,000 in fines.
Netizens are worried about drivers watching reels and using phones. One user, @Similar_Plum6677, tweeted, “Auto driver is watching reels while driving at 70. I hope he drops me safely to the office,” along with a picture. Another user, @Holdeeznutzz, replied, “That's how addicted we are to mindless content, and I have zero hope for the mental stability of upcoming generations.”
Another netizen, @Rishi_Reddy404, added, “Even Uber guys do that. My dude straight up watched back-to-back old songs of NTR.”
Neha, a Hyderabad-based woman working at a private firm, shared her concerns saying, “It has become so scary to travel on Rapidos and autorickshaws. They plug in their earphones or sometimes just use them normally and are unaware of who is coming from the side. The autorickshaw driver I was traveling with was watching a movie, and suddenly a bike came in. We almost hit it, but he was too busy to notice.”
Krishank, a journalism student in Hyderabad, said, “I usually take a cab at night and often hear the driver talk loudly for two hours straight. I’m not saying he shouldn’t talk for long, but at least pay attention to what’s happening on the road. We never know what will happen.”
A study conducted two years ago by the Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH) showed that 16.5 per cent of motorists in Hyderabad use their phones while driving. Of these, 71.7 per cent use their phones hands-free via earphones, Bluetooth, or by keeping the phone inside their helmets. With the country's increased digitalisation, more people now possess mobiles exacerbating the problem.
According to Section 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act, “Whoever drives a motor vehicle at a speed or in a manner which is dangerous to the public [or which causes a sense of alarm or distress to the occupants of the vehicle, other road users, and persons near roads], having regard to all the circumstances of the case including the nature, condition, and use of the place where the vehicle is driven and the amount of traffic which actually is at the time or which might reasonably be expected to be in the place, shall be punishable for the first offence with imprisonment for a term [which may extend to one year but shall not be less than six months or with a fine which shall not be less than one thousand rupees but may extend to Rs 5,000 or with both], and for any second or subsequent offence if committed within three years of the commission of a previous similar offence with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with a fine [of Rs 10,000], or with both.”
